Roller Rabbit was inspired by a fable of a magical rabbit that founder, Roberta Freymann, found on a piece of discarded fabric in India. Launched in 2003, with a collection of colorful hand block printed kurtas, the relaxed, resort-inspired line has evolved into a lifestyle brand offering a plethora of products which include clothing for men, women, and children, as well as accessories and home furnishings
OUR STORY
The Roller Rabbit story began with a scrap of fabric found in Jaipur, India. It featured the scribbled tale of a magical rabbit dashed across a piece of discarded cotton. There was something so enchanting about its hand-made nature and playful print, something that caught the eye of founder Roberta Freymann, who spun that spark of inspiration into a well-loved global lifestyle brand.
Since launching with a capsule collection of exotic block print kurtas in 2003, Roller Rabbit has grown to include everything from ready-to-wear and accessories to tabletop and bedding to a much-loved kids collection. The travel-inspired designs are carried in specialty stores around the world, as well as online and in our sixteen (and counting) Roller Rabbit boutiques.
But even with such tremendous growth, over a decade later, we are still doing things just as they were done in the beginning. We still make each and every piece by hand in collaboration with artisans in over twenty countries around the world. We still love the effortless sophistication that comes from covering beautiful styles in bold, exciting prints and sun-saturated colors. And we still think that a little imperfect is just the right amount of perfect.
A Legacy of Craftsmanship
At Roller Rabbit, we believe how something is made is just as important as the finished product. That’s why we put in the effort to hand craft every pattern, knot and tassel we design using high-quality materials and time-tested techniques.
Our production process doesn’t involve big manufacturers. Instead, we go straight to the source, partnering with small teams of local artisans in over twenty countries. Our cashmere is knitted in Nepal, our pima cotton in Peru. We work with leather craftsman in Thailand and block printers in India. These artisans are the best at what they do because what they do is more than a job…it’s a part of their cultural heritage, a legacy of craftsmanship passed down from father to son, from grandmother to granddaughter, that we are proud to support.
Traditional, often centuries-old, techniques are used in the creation of our products, giving them a one-of-a-kind feel. It takes ten people and six days to make a single one of our Serafina tunics, for instance—a quilt takes three times that long. This is because we don’t believe in shortcuts. Our patterns are hand-stamped from whittled wood blocks. Our tassels and trims are hand-knotted. In order to give you the richest, most saturated colors available we use reactive dyes that must be “cooked” by the sun for hours on end to reach maximum brightness—even though this means we have to work around winter and monsoon season.
We go to such great lengths because we believe that no machine can match the quality you get from something that’s made by hand, or the feeling you get from knowing that you’re wearing something that was lovingly crafted every step of the way. This is what truly matters to us…and we know it matters to you, too.
Photo Credits - Top Row: Photo by Scarlet O’Neill. Second Row: (left) Photo courtesy of Bar Palladio; (second from left) Photo by Ricardo Labougle; (far right) Photo by Marco Trunz / Trunk Archive featuring Ana Kuni / Ice Models. Third Row: (second from left) Photo by Arnaud de Rosnay / Vogue, December 1970 © Condé Nast; (center) Photo by Raj Patel. Bottom Row: SPAIN. Seville. 1955. Photo by Romeria del Rocio. © Inge Morath © The Inge Morath Foundation/Magnum Photos.